10 September 2012

Internet gurus and Skype pujas

In a previous post, I had written about
websites which offer the possibility of doing pujas online. Recently I read in
the paper about how online technology is making summoning the gods much easier.
Forget doing your morning puja online via cute websites. The latest trend is
doing pujas ‘live’ with a real Hindu priest, direct over the Internet via
Skype.

The technology offered by Skype has taken
Internet communication to a new level. With a camera and mike, you can not only
speak to, but also see your interlocutor. You can even have video conference
calls with several people at once

I’ve heard of Skype being used by teachers
of Indian classical music. These tech savvy vidwans teach their students
sitting in Dubai, Washington or London across a computer screen. This takes
guru-shisya parampara to a new, modern-day level. I wonder if shisyas prostate
in front of the screen to symbolically touch their Internet guru’s feet after
each lesson.

The article in The Hindu describes Sridhar,
a California-based NRI, who is getting ready for a puja across Skype. Sridhar
is decked out in traditional garb and sitting in front of his computer along
with all the required puja paraphernalia assembled around him. Sacred darba
grass? Check. Black sesame seeds in a bowl? Check. Silver pot filled with
water? Check. Large plate? Check. Everything is available in California, na?!
At the appointed time, the priest in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu connects to Skype on
his laptop and appears on Sridhar’s screen in his California living room. He
chants the necessary mantras which Sridhar is asked to repeat them.

I love the photograph accompanying the
article. It shows a computer screenshot of a young priest sporting the
Thenkalai Iyengar caste mark on his forehead and dressed in customary priest
attire. He’s also wearing headphones with an integrated mike. You can tell he’s
in India because a typical Indian ‘almirah’ is to his right and behind him you
see one of the plastic mirrors you find above sinks all over India. In the
right-hand corner, you see a much smaller image of Sridhar the NRI, piously
holding his palms together in prayer. (Unfortunately the photo above which
accompanied the article has been cropped so you don’t see Sridhar!).

In the article, the priest maintains that
this high-tech puja is not diluted by a laptop screen. “This does not violate
any ritualistic rule,” he says. “In any case, the effect of homams is always
carried across to the intended recipient through vibrations, so it works even
when the person is far away. It is all a matter of faith and belief,” he
concludes, demonstrating that holy intentions are more important than the
medium used to attain them.

3 comments
:

I am a regular follower of your blog and I find most of your posts very interesting. I missed reading the article when it appeared in The Hindu, but perhaps that was a good thing. It made reading this post very enjoyable.